The Revenge of the Black Parade – My Chemical Romance & Iggy Pop (Detroit, MI – 8/21/26)

On Friday, August 21st, 2026; exactly ten years after our first ever “Rock on the Wire” article was published, we were back on the road – this time in Detroit, Michigan, for the 20th anniversary season of My Chemical Romance‘s “The Black Parade” Album.

The night started with a life changing decision, as we showed up, we learned the news that the show had been pushed back like an hour from its original start time, much to the dismay of a large number of people already lining up in lines stretching around the stadium (I’d assume, because I can’t imagine not being somewhat dismayed after already waiting multiple hours to get a barricade spot, to then leave it was delayed another hour)

Original 313 presents published times

Times shown as of an email sent at 3pm on 8/21:

Me, doing investigating on the most reliable information based app ever (Reddit)

Anyway, The Decision.

With a newly gifted 75 minutes until we could get inside, we decided to go find a place to sit and get something to eat. After quite literally passing it twice, I said “why don’t we just do this Hockeytown Cafe thing right here on the corner”.

Little did either of us know, that decision would change the fate of humanity, and the trajection of our lives from this point forward. What I personally thought, looked like a very tchotchke, touristy looking corner bar, that, mind you, literally doesn’t have its own branding, and is using the Local NHL team’s Moniker and Slogan, turned out to be the greatest eating eater in the known universe.

When I tell you, I have been to both ends of the country trying local food, some weird, some run of the mill, burgers often with an egg on it, and I have never had anything as cooked to perfection as this fine establishment. We had an egg that wasn’t running all over the place (it wasn’t runny at all), over a perfectly cooked hash brown, all on top of a thick cut of a burger, and I haven’t even mentioned the perfectly cooked waffle fries yet.

Before I launch into a full blown article solely about this amazing establishment, I guess I should quickly transition into the show, with my last work being you should make this a must in your pre-game plans for any event in downtown Detroit.

(Hi Issa here, ur new editor, can confirm this was the best burger and fries I have literally ever had. Go here, like yesterday.)

The Show

As we took to our very comfy seats, as I tried to refocus myself from the heavenly beginnings and deity of a dinner I just consumed, the rest of the night did somewhat feel like a guess as to what would happen, considering every time for every plan that was planned tonight had been flopped.

The seats were Very comfortable, however they are split in the most complicated way possible. If you are a couple, book the middle two seats instead of the end. The tables split one chair in between two chairs then another table and chair. There was a couple next to us and unfortunately me and the dude had to share seats.

The night kicked off with the “Godfather of Punk” himself, Iggy Pop rocking the stage in all his glory. His set, including hits like “The Passenger”, and “1969” had the Detroit Faithful in full support of the Hometown Heroes energetic performance throughout the evening, with many a fan dawning “Team Iggy” shirts throughout the Concourse.

To continue on, during a brief intermission, we were greeted by slideshows of rules pertaining to the beautiful country of Draag (the fictitious country in which the next two hours of our night would take place), in their native language of Keposhka, making clusters of the announcements hard to read, except for some random ones that had gate numbers listed in English.

The show started with the singing of “Over the Fields”, the official National Anthem of Draag, with Charlotte Kelso on live vocals.

The entirety of the first half of the show, the “pre-Encore” if you will, was the band playing their 2006 album “The Black Parade” in its entirety. This section included a lot of theatrical story telling, “Lore”, if you will, including but not limited to:

Gerard slashing Frank’s throat (it’s ok he came back to life after)

This guy trying to get this lady to drink whatever is in this cup, then getting in trouble for drinking it himself

And last but not least, you can’t forget the big finale! a live disembowelment on stage for all to witness during the “Blood” hidden track performance!

The second half of the show, or the “Encore”, which took place on the B-stage and consisted of about 10 more songs, including hits like” Helena”, “I’m not ok (I promise)”, “Na Na Na”, and covers such as Morrissey’s “Jack the Ripper”, was the rain soaked conclusion of the night, that was about to span into the next morning due to the time change.

Set Lists & Photos

Here’s some more photos from the show as well!